Brae brave for rising trainer Debattista


Brazilian Brae claimed her first city win at Sandown Park last night for up-and-coming trainer Aaron Debattista.

She began well and led all of the way holding off the strong Zipping Buck.

“This is her first city win at the track. I think she had five wins when I started training her and now she’s up to win 18 – she’s going well,” said Debattista.

Originally trained by Rob Britton, Brazilian Brae had a stint in Tasmania before finding herself at Debattista’s kennel.

“Her owner (Phillip Smith) called me out of the blue. He knew about me through word of mouth and thought he’d give her a go here. He’s sending me a few more, so he’s pretty happy with how things are going.“

Debattista hails from a greyhound racing family. He gained his trainers license when he was 18-years-old and has had a strong interest ever since.

“It was just in the blood. There was a period where I wasn’t involved for about six years while I was in the air force, I was spending time in Darwin and Perth. I came back home about 10 years ago and decided to get back into it.”

Not long after his return to the sport he purchased his current property in Toollen, almost an hour drive west of Bendigo.

“I wasn’t planning to go on a large scale or anything, but the property came up and I decided to pull the trigger and take the punt. It’s been a lot of work to set up but it’s basically finished now.

“There’s been some times where I’ve thought I might have done the wrong thing. Now it’s all good, the industry is thriving and the phone keeps ringing.”

Debattista currently works part-time at the Department of Defense where he practices cartography. His kennel is a team of eight racing greyhounds with many pups on the property as well.

“Pretty soon I’ll be finishing up work and just doing the dogs full time. I’ve invested a lot in my facilities and definitely want to keep it going.”

Debattista’s name may be familiar to punters as the trainer of Ringer, who won 16 races and placed in a further 26. He’s now retired and currently living in a motorhome, where he ventures around Australia with his new owners.

“He was a very honest dog. I’ve been sent many of photos of him, he’s doing well which is good. He deserves it.”

Later in the night stars of the sport Dyna Chancer and Mepunga Blazer both won impressively.

Click here for last night’s results

Brazilian Brae (2) leads from go-to-whoa
Dyna Chancer (8) showcases his strength
Mepunga Blazer (2) back with a bang
Jason Adams
About Jason Adams - Racing Operations Coordinator at Sandown Park. Over 8 years involvement in greyhound racing and one of the sport's biggest and most passionate fans.
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